Deb Carr

Cabin Stays at Mansfield on the Manning

The gravel road towards Mansfield on the Manning was my introduction on how rural and scenic this property is. For anyone who is looking to have a tranquil stay on a rural property Mansfield on the Manning offers it all. Owners, Jane and Neil, have created the perfect getaway offering tranquility, and a taste of rural life. I was greeted by Jane, and then by Bob and Doug, the two resident dogs of the premises. Jane showed me to my cabin and I was immediately in love! This is my dream home!

My stay was in the Lagoon Cabin offering views of the Manning River, rolling hills and a lagoon that is the playground for many beautiful birds.

The cabin has a veranda with outdoor furniture, a fabulous loft that sleeps two, a well equiped kitchen with everything you need to cook up a storm, a modern bedroom with Queen sized bed, generous sized bathroom and a comfortable sitting room. The decor and furnishings are very impressive. There is air conditioning in the bedroom for the cold nights (guests are asked to switch off when not in the cabin), a dining table and a day bed with a luxurious rug to keep you snug in the chilly night. The bathroom has a heated towel rail, lots of room and the hot water heats up very fast. The toiletries are organic and made by Grown Alchemist. Out on the veranda there is also a gas bbq and down on the grass a fire pit.

Scroll through the gallery for a peak inside.

There were some pleasant surprises as well! On the kitchen bench was freshly baked bread and Anzac biscuits by Neil. Neil, Jane's husband is a qualified chef and as well as maintaining Mansfield on the Manning, he also prepares meals for guests using local produce and what they grow on the property. Guests can also order picnic and breakfast hampers, afternoon tea and more.

Mansfield on the Manning has its own vegetable garden and fruit tress and guests are welcome to help themselves to the produce. As well as the bread, there was Neil's passionfruit butter, freshly laid eggs from the chooks, milk and a range of cooking essentials. A Nespresso machine sits on on the bench and a range of T2 teas are also available.

The smell of the bread was so fantastic that I cut into it straight away and enjoyed with the delightful passionfruit butter. Those Anzac biscuits didn't last long either!

It was time to explore so I headed up to the vegetable patch and the chicken pen. Neil was resting the patch as it is winter so there wasn't a lot growing but the citrus trees were full of fruit. A range of beautiful chickens were roaming around their pen making a noise!

I was looking out for a koala that had been in a tree next to my cabin for a few days, but it wasn't there anymore. I was hoping to spot one on my walk but that never eventuated. Koalas do frequent the property.

The three bedroom cottage is perfect for a larger group, it also has a combustion fireplace, a huge veranda and a fire pit outside.

Mansfield on Manning has a lagoon with chairs for guests to sit and enjoy the birds and the peace and quiet. The lagoon is part of the scenery that my cabin overlooked.

A short walk up the hill takes you to the Manning River where guests can enjoy rowing on the river if they feel like it and fishing too.

All of the cabins (and the cottage) have a fire pit to enjoy outside and I really loved lighting the fire and watching the sunset.

The fire pit is easy to light as long as you use very dry kindling and some paper. Stack it sort of like a tee pee (like mine below), put the paper throughout and then light the paper. Once the fire is flaming add some of the logs (the logs are stacked up at the back of the cabins).